Local News
MP backs campaign on public notices
FREDDIE van Mierlo has backed a national campaign against plans to scrap laws requiring alcohol licensing notices and changes to authority governance printed in local newspapers. The Henley MP said the Government must take a close look at the implications of these changes so communities can continue...
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Training pool back open after £40,000 upgrade
A VILLAGE swimming pool has formally re-opened after being “saved” by £40,000 of donations from the community. Sonning Common Swimming Pool, located at the primary school in Grove Road, was closed for six weeks during the summer so outdated fixtures, tiles and flooring were replaced. A crowdfun...
Stage groups join forces to provide pathway for talent
A THEATRE company and performing arts school will form a new working affiliation. Henley Amateur Operatic and Drama Society (HAODS) and StageWorks, both based in Henley, will cement their 25-year relationship. This will ensure that both groups can continue to develop local talent and provide opportu...
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‘To win back votes, Tories must face up to Reform’
AS the Conservative Party conference wrapped up in Manchester, two former ministers laid out their visions to return the party to power at the Henley Literary Festival. Conservative peer Michael Heseltine, who was MP for Henley from 1974 to 2001, urged his party to distance itself from far-right par...
Cheers! Regulars celebrate as pub named community asset
A PUB in Maidensgrove will be protected for five years as an asset of community value. A group of residents has successfully registered the Five Horseshoes as an asset of community value with South Oxfordshire District Council. The pub closed in August last year when previous tenants Tracey and Dan ...
Photographer wins award with misty morning shadow
A PHOTOGRAPHER from Peppard Common won his second international award at a competition in Italy. Chris Harrison, 34, was honoured for his misty morning drone shot at the Siena Awards on September 27. The image, The Long Shadow, depicts a leafless tree casting a shadow on to low-lying mist, as the su...
Lottery winner bags dream home
A FORMER school cook from Shiplake, who won £821,000 in the People’s Postcode Lottery, has bought her first home with her husband after 42 years. Sally Maudlin, 62, scooped two winning tickets, each worth £410,995, when she won in June last year. The mother of two, who had been playing for six y...
Athletes do battle in tug of war for cancer charity
TWELVE rowers from Leander Club took part in a tug of war match at Henley Rugby Club. The athletes were split into two teams and played best-of-three during the half-time break of the Henley Hawks match against Oundle on Saturday. They were supporting Henley’s entry into the House of Lords vs Hous...
Twin town re-opens Henley Bridge after six-year wait
HENLEY Mayor Tom Buckley travelled to twin town Leichlingen in Germany to open its refurbished bridge. Cllr Buckley cut the ribbon with mayor-elect Maurice Winter to officially open “Henley Bridge” following a £1.7m rebuild. It is one of three crossings in the town, which lies between Düsseldo...
‘It’s humiliating for statues of Olympians to be in car park’
A FORMER Henley mayor has made a call for statues of two of the town’s most decorated athletes to be relocated following the closure of the River & Rowing Museum. Barry Wood, who lives in Peppard Common, said that the idea of leaving the statues of Sir Steve Redgrave and Sir Matthew Pinsent in...
Restaurant retains award for ninth year running
A RESTAURANT in Shiplake has retained a culinary award for the ninth consecutive year. Orwells, in Shiplake Row, has been awarded four rosettes from AA. The awards, which are given out by the British Automobile Association, range from one to five rosettes and aim to recognise culinary excellence. Th...
Footfall down for festival
BUSINESSES reported mixed fortunes during this year’s Henley Literary Festival. Some blamed roadworks that closed Market Place and other works in Reading Road, New Street and Northfield End for a decrease in footfall. But others said that the first 10-day event brought a “buzz” which resulted ...
Children run 100 miles for school’s centenary
PUPILS at St Mary’s School in Henley celebrated its centenary by running 100 miles for charity. Between them, pupils from reception to Year 6 ran 100 miles round Harpsden cricket ground to fundraise for the NSPCC. The children were joined by Year 5 form tutor and drama teacher Alice Brown, PE teac...
PUB PAIR QUIT AFTER DEBTS REACH £1.5M
TWO entrepreneurs were forced to give up two pubs after accruing debts of more than £1.5 million. Alex Sergeant and David Holliday ran the Bottle and Glass Inn in Binfield Heath and Hart Street Tavern in Henley as separate companies. They were wound down in May and August, owing more than £1m to H...
Full list of DWP benefits and other deals for people of State Pension age
Millions of pensioners across the UK - and even those aged over 60 - are missing out on benefits and discounts they are entitled to.
Dinosaur footprints in Oxfordshire form longest Europe trackway
Dinosaur footprints uncovered in Oxfordshire have formed the longest individual sauropod dinosaur trackways in Europe.
British gas boiler warning as colder temperatures loom across UK
British Gas said more than 1.2 million customers called on its engineers to fix broken boilers last winter, and are warning householders to make simple checks
E-Fit released of man who flashed group of women
An E-Fit image has been released after a man exposed himself to a group of women in Oxford around Addison’s Walk towards Fellows Garden.
Prison nurse who caused 'significant harm' with racist and sexual comments struck off
A nurse who caused 'significant harm' to patients and staff with racist and sexual comments while working in prisons - including one in Oxfordshire - has been struck off.
Why early planning for Oxbridge matters
Applying to Cambridge or Oxford is about more than meeting the UCAS October 15 deadline - it’s about strategy, preparation, and persistence.